A Little Miracle
by betterlove
Summary: "Pregnancy isn't a smooth ride. There are a lot of bumps. A lot of... hiccups." Hiccup and Astrid are having a baby! But things certainly don't go according to plan. Why are there so many struggles in something that's suppose to be so wonderful?
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Notes: **Another Hiccup/Astrid story. This is just going to show little snippets of the couple's journey to becoming parents. But a word of warning, things don't go, let's say, very pleasantly at first. 

* * *

**A little miracle**

**Chapter One**

They say becoming a mother is a wonderful thing. Sure, it's painful and stressful and some days it seemed like pure torture. But in the end, you're bringing a little miracle into the world and they need you and before you can even help it, you need them. You raise your children, you help them grow and learn, you love them unconditionally and in return, they love you. You need them because they complete you, and you need them because you a part of you lives in them. You encourage your children to excel and reach for the sky, and you want them to be the best them the can be. You want to give them their best shot.

Astrid was so excited to become a mother. She was thrilled by the idea of being able to teach her little ones about the world. She would love to watch them grow, and see how they interpret everything. She wouldn't want them to follow in her footsteps; not she'd want them to rise higher and higher until they reached the clouds. She'd always cheer them on and be proud of them. And if they would be anything like her father, they'd change the world in amazing ways. They'd be able to carry on with what the Chief had started. They'd be her little miracles.

So it's easy for one to imagine Astrid's pure excitement when she discovered that she was pregnant. Her – pregnant. _Pregnant!_ She was going to have a baby! After trying for quite a while, it finally happened.

And she couldn't wait to tell her boyfriend.

Astrid found Hiccup standing in front of Toothless, just outside his house. Though she couldn't hear, she could see that he was talking to the dragon. After a moment, he moved to Toothless's side, about to mount him.

"Hiccup!" Astrid ran over to him, beaming brightly. "Sweet baby Thor, do I have some good news!"

Hiccup turned around and smiled at her. "Oh, hey there. Uh, can it wait? Toothless and I were just to go out for a flight, " he held up his helmet, "right now."

"No, this seriously _cannot_ wait. You need to know right now. Like, _right now!_"

He arched a brow. "Are you sure it's good news?" He sounded skeptic.

"Probably some of the best news you'll hear in your life!"

"Alright, well, what is it?"

Astrid grinned widely, holding her hands in front of her mouth, as if revealing a huge secret. "I'm pregnant!"b

Her boyfriend froze, his helmet slipping from his fingers. "What?"

She laughed gleefully, throwing her hands up. "I'm pregnant!_ I'm pregnant! _Can you _believe_ it? Finally!" She noticed Hiccup's lack of response and lowered her hands. "Did you not hear me? Pretty sure I made myself perfectly clear."

"I heard you."

"What, are you not happy?"

"No."

Astrid's brow furrowed but before she could get upset or offend, Hiccup grabbed by the waist, spinning her around madly. "I'm _thrilled!_" He shouted as he spun her and she laughed like a child. Once he set her down, he kept his hands on her waist, grinning. "You're sure? You're definitely sure?"

She nodded. "I'm pretty certain."

He laughed and embraced her tightly. "Oh, sweetie, that's amazing!" He broke away and glanced at Toothless. "Oh, you hear that, bud? We're gonna be parents! We're having a baby!"

Toothless grinned at him, happy by their happiness. He nuzzled his head against Hiccup's side. He chuckled and wrapped his arm around the dragon's neck. "We're... we're having a baby..." he murmured to himself. He lifted his gaze back to Astrid, who was still grinning like crazy. "Oh, man, I love you so much."

"I love you too!" She cupped his cheeks and kissed him deeply before pulling back and grinned once more.

"What, no punches?" Hiccup teased.

"I'm too excited!"

He chuckled. "Well, it's certainly exciting." He cleared his throat and glanced to his dragon. "Sorry, buddy, but we're gonna have to reschedule our flying session." He scratched Toothless's head affectionately. "But I'll make it up to you, okay? I'll give you an extra batch of fish tonight."

Toothless looked disappointed for a moment but he turned towards Astrid. After a moment of staring, he bumped his nose against her belly. Her and Hiccup laughed and she scratched him under the chin. "That's right, Toothless," she rubbed her stomach, "there's a baby in there."

Hiccup grinned. "I can't believe it; we're having a baby. See, I told you it would happen." He ran his hand through his hair before bending down and picking his helmet back up. "Why don't we go tell my Mom? She'll be so happy."

"Great idea."

Astrid linked arms with Hiccup and the two began to walk back to his house, with Toothless in tow.


	2. Chapter 2

**A Little Miracle **

**Chapter Two**

Valka was sitting outside, with Cloudjumper by her side. She was leaning back on her elbows, basking in the small amount of sun Berk experienced. Her dragon sat close to her, his head in her lap.

When Hiccup and Astrid reached her, they could barely contain their elation. They wanted to declare it out to the whole tribe. They wanted to sing the news out of the top of the highest hills, for all the world to hear. But a more simple approach was probably the way to go. It would make it all the more exciting to see Valka's reaction.

"Mom!" Hiccup called, walking up the slope to their house. His arm was around Astrid's shoulder, squeezing her tightly, while she tried to keep her grins to a minimum, afraid she'd give it away.

Valka stood up, brushing down her tunic. "Oh, hello, you two. What are you up to?"

"We have something to tell you." Astrid relied.

Hiccup nodded. "Can we go inside?"

His mother's brow furrowed slightly. "Is something wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong, Mom, trust us. Can we just head inside and talk?"

"Alright them." Valka kissed Cloudjumper on the nose before making her way to the front door. Astrid followed with Hiccup gestured for Toothless to stay outside with the other dragon. Toothless happily complied. When Hiccup joined his mother and girlfriend in his house Valka clasped her hands together and looked at them expectantly. "So what is it you want to tell me?"

Before answering, Hiccup dropped his gaze to Astrid, who nodded in encouragement. "Well, you see, Astrid here is–she's pregnant. We're, uh, we're gonna have a baby."

Valka held her hands over her mouth and gasped. "Oh... Oh, Hiccup, _really?_"

"We're gonna be parents!" Astrid exclaimed.

The older woman threw her arms around the two. "I'm so happy for you!" She kissed both their cheeks before stepping back. "And I'm so proud."

"You were right, Valka. We just had to be patient. And it's paid off," the blonde girl sighed, "at last."

Just then, a Viking woman with her auburn hair in two thick braids knocked on the open door lightly. "Um, excuse me, Chief, sorry to interrupt but we were wondering if you could help us solve a little... dispute? Spitelout has accused Balder of stealing his chickens and it could get messy."

Hiccup groaned. "Again?" He shook his head and turned to face the woman. "Of course, ma'am; I'll be right there." He pivoted back around and pecked Astrid's cheek. "I'll see you later, okay?"

She nodded. "Of course. Il'll just stay here with your mom." As she said this, Valka stepped forward and put her arm around Astrid's shoulder, smiling at her.

Hiccup kissed his girlfriend quickly once more before following the woman down the path that led to the heart of the village.

* * *

Hiccup was sitting by himself in the Great Hall. The 'dispute' he dealt with was resolved a lot later than he expected. Stubborn Vikings. Why did they always blame each other? Anyway turns out a few baby dragons had chased the chickens out of their pen. And Hiccup had to round them all up to satisfy both the Vikings. So he was having a late dinner. No one else was really around and those that were were sitting at the tables closer to the door. He was sitting at the very back, away from everyone one for a little privacy.

"Mind if I join you, Chief?"

Or so he thought. He looked up and saw Astrid standing next to him, holding a bowl of yak soup. "Oh, hey, honey. Please," he gesture to the spot next to him, "go right ahead."

She sat down next to him, setting her bowl and spoon the the table.

Hiccup shifted so his body was facing her more. "What—,"

Before he even saw her move, Astrid cupped his face and suddenly kissed him.

"What was that for?" He asked, arching a brow. "Not that I'm complaining."

She shrugged and picked up her spoon. "I'm just excited."

He chuckled softly. "Tell me about it.

"So do you think it's a boy or a girl?" Astrid absently swirled her stew around with her spoon.

"Why? You wanna start thinking of baby names?"

"It's never too early to start planning."

"I hope it's a tough, hardcore, amazing girl, just like her mom."

"I think a boy. Maybe he'll have the heart of a Chief, just like his daddy." She rubbed his arm, smiling. "But whatever it is, it will be the greatest thing in the whole world."

"Agreed."

They ate silently for a few minutes. Well, Hiccup ate, Astrid just pushed the meat around in her soup.

As he finished up, Hiccup pushed his bowl aside and turned his attention back to his girlfriend. "Do you have any names in mind?"

"I've always liked the name Freya."

"After the Goddess of love and night. It sounds nice."

"What about you? Any names in mind?"

"Oh, why not Hiccup?" He said with a smirk. "I think it's neutral enough to be a male and female name."

"Oh, no, we are not naming him Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the Forth."

"What about Hiccup Hofferson Haddock?"

"Do you really want to name a kid Hiccup?" Astrid asked bluntly.

"Gods, no. I'm not putting our kid through that." When Astrid covered her mouth to hide her laughing, he smiled faintly. "Besides, he won't be a 'Hiccup'. He, or she, will be strong and determined, like you."

"And compassionate and brave, like you, Hiccup."

He took her hand in his and squeezed it. "They'll be beautiful, like their mother."

"No, they'll be drop dead gorgeous like their father." Astrid paused, smiling slyly. "At least after puberty they will."

"Oh, ha ha." Hiccup muttered sarcastically, slipping his arm around Astrid's waist. "You're lucky I like you because you can't tease the Chief like that."

She rested her head on his shoulder. "You're too easy to tease, you dork."

"Oh, I'm a dork, am I?"

"Yep. But it's okay; I still love you."

"Glad we established that."

Just then, their friends entered the Great Hall. They were hard to miss; they were all talking loudly – well, arguing usually.

Fishlegs caught sight of the couple and waved at them. He gestured at the other three and pointed at their table.

"I wanna wait before we tell the others." Astrid said lowly as the gang came over to them.

"Sure thing." Hiccup agreed.

"Hey, guys, why are you eating so late?" Ruffnut asked.

Snotlout sat between the two. "So, what are we talking about?"

Fishlegs rolled his eyes as he sat down. "Leave it up to Snotlout to ruin a moment."

"Uh, we weren't really having a—,"

"Hey, I _make_ the moment." Snotlout interjected angrily. "You can't have a good moment with Snotlout."

"He's right." Astrid agreed. "When I think of what would be a good moment, I always think of pounding Snotlout into the ground."

The others laughed while Snotlout crossed his arms sulkily.

They all stayed in the Great Hall till it got rather late, just talking amongst themselves. Despite all their bickering and insulting and fighting, Hiccup really enjoyed the moments when they all sat together and just... talked. It brought a little normality into their crazy lives. And although they made him want to tear his hair out, he couldn't ask for better friends.

Hiccup was the first to turn in. He stood up and stretched. "I'll see you guys tomorrow. Remember, we're doing some combat practice. And can you all please come on time?"

"Why do you look at me when you say that?" Snotlout demanded.

"Uh, because last time I'm pretty sure you came after _noon_, when we were, like, finished." Tuffnut reminded him.

"Exactly." Hiccup's gaze fell down to his girlfriend and he held out his hand. "You coming?"

She nodded, taking his hand and standing up. "Yeah. See you guys later."

The other four sent them off with a jumble of farewells and the couple walked hand in hand back to Hiccup's house.


	3. Chapter 3

********Just a warning** – this chapter is about miscarriage. If you are uncomfortable with this, I really do advise you _not_ to read that chapter. Please read with caution. Thank you.****** (You can see the end notes for more info on this chapter)

* * *

**Chapter Three**

Astrid woke suddenly with a strange feeling in the bottom of her belly. Something was very, very wrong. Groggily, she pulled herself up into a sitting position and brushed stray locks of hair from her face. Her hand absently felt around for Hiccup's shoulder and she shook it. "Wake up!" She hissed at him, shifting slightly.

That's when she felt the awful, sticky wetness between her legs.

_Oh, Gods, no..._

She wretched back the covers and in the dim moonlight she could see the horrible stains on her inner thighs, knowing that absolute worst had just happened. She was bleeding. It felt thick and icky and more like tar than blood. She would have rather had an axe to her thigh. That would have made less of a mess. And the pain would have been nothing compared to the dread and pure sickness that was building up in her chest.

Astrid let out a loud, horrified shout. "_HICCUP!_" She shrieked at him. "Wake up!"

That certainly woke Hiccup up. In fact, he jerked upright quite suddenly. Letting out a startled breath, his eyes darted to the screaming woman beside him. "Astrid?!" He couldn't recall a time, if any, he heard her shout like that. And that only meant something wasn't right. "What's wrong? Hey, are you okay?"

He tried to grab her arms to soothe her but she shook back and forth, freeing herself from his grip. "Look!" She said between panicked gasps, shakily pointing at her legs.

Hiccup followed her finger and saw the cause of her horror. "Oh,_ Gods,_ Astrid, are you okay? What—," and then suddenly, he understood. "Oh, no..."

It was then Valka came into the room, looking frantically concerned. "I heard screaming; are you alright?" Toothless also popped his head in the doorway, peering around her and glancing around the room protectively for any signs of intruders or anything that was cause harm to them.

Before Hiccup could even string two words together to explain, Astrid just burst into tears. And that slowed Hiccup's world right down. Things suddenly became very surreal, as if the very fabric of existence had been flipped on its head. Things were happening that should not have been happening. He didn't want to believe any of it. He had _never_ seen Astrid cry like this. In fact, he couldn't recall a time he had ever seen her cry. Sure, he'd seen her with tears in her eyes but he hadn't seen her suddenly start sobbing. Though giving the circumstance... well, he wanted to cry himself.

Valka rushed over to the bed, immediately sensing something was dreadfully wrong. "What's happened?" She asked softly.

Hiccup nodded his head to the pool of dark blood. Valka gasped and covered her mouth with her hands in disbelief. "Oh, dear... Oh, _Astrid_..." She couldn't think of anything she could say to console the girl so instead she began helping Astrid up. "Come one, dear, we need to get you cleaned up. Let's go downstairs."

Her son jumped out of bed, quickly throwing on his shirt and hastily running around the bed to his mother. He scooped Astrid up in his arms and began to carry her towards the doorway. Adrenaline pumped through him, the only thing keeping him moving and not thinking. The only thing allowing him to carry his sobbing girlfriend. His mind went blank. This was no longer about him; his priority was taking care of Astrid. As he walked past Toothless with his mother at his heels, the dragon's expression went from curious to concerned. He smelt the blood and sensed the distress. As Hiccup began descending down the staircase, Toothless nudged him.

"It's gonna be okay, Toothless." Hiccup murmured lowly. "We're gonna take care of Astrid." He turned his attention to his girlfriend, pressing his lips to her forehead. "Hear that, sweetie? I promise I'm going to take care of you."

She didn't even register that he'd kissed her; she couldn't grasp on to anything real. Her mind was focused on their unborn baby who had just been torn away from them in a bloody nightmare. Was this even really happening?

Toothless leant against Hiccup, keeping his balance and helping him down the stairs. Once they were back on the ground floor, Valka led her son over to the back room and told him to set Astrid down there. She then went and fetched a piece of cloth and a bucket half filled with water. With those two items in her hands, hurried back over to the two. Astrid stood numbly, bloody legs shaking while Hiccup help her upright and Toothless was probably the only thing supporting him too.

Valka set the bucket down and soaked the cloth in the water, wringing it out and handing it to Hiccup. "Here, clean her up. Get rid of all the blood before it dries." She instructed, backing out the room. "I'll go get her some clothes."

"She has clothes in my top drawer."

The woman headed upstairs, beckoning for Toothless to follow so the two could have some privacy.

Hiccup's eyes slowly drifted back to Astrid. Her sobbing had died down. Now she was just breathing heavily, occasionally sucking in sharp breaths, while endless tears fell down her cheeks. He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. How was he going to do this? Would she explode at him? Scream and shout the walls down? That would be a more normal reaction. A slightly easier reaction. He knew how to deal with a furious Astrid. Or maybe she would just shut down? Become emotionless and block out the pain. That seemed slightly more alarming.

But first things first, he needed to get Astrid cleaned up. She was only wearing a top and a pair of undergarments so it was mostly her legs covered in the sticky blood. "Astrid, baby, I, uh, I have to take off your..." he gestured at her blood soaked undergarments.

She merely nodded.

Hiccup chewed on his lip as he pulled up her top. The very bottom was smudged with a bit of blood here and there but it wasn't so bad. Her underwear though, there was more blood than cloth. Oh, Gods, how many times had he removed her undergarments before? And, _oh_, how had he enjoyed it – of course he had. For Thor's sake, he had removed her underwear when they conceived the baby; that's how this whole mess began! But now – now he was just sickened. Not by Astrid, of course, but by how much blood there actually was. He couldn't comprehend it. Instead, he just went about cleaning her up. He slid her underwear down to her ankles and she stepped out of them. Then he took the cloth and began to slowly and precisely wash away the blood. He was trying hard not to breathe in; he hated the smell of blood and he didn't really want to have to clean up his own vomit too.

After rinsing out the cloth quite a few times, Hiccup managed to clean off most the blood, just leaving behind a few faint stains on the skin.

"Then, all done. Astrid? Honey?" He sighed and cupped her cheeks. "Please, Astrid, just say something. Say anything."

"I lost our baby." Astrid whispered, voice breaking.

Hiccup squeezed his eyes shut, resting his forehead against hers. "Yeah... Yeah, I know..." He murmured dejectedly.

"I'm so sorry, Hiccup."

He leant back, mortified. "No, Astrid, no, _no_ – it's not your _fault._ It's not. You couldn't help it. I mean, no! It had nothing to do with you."

She buried her face in her hands. "Oh, Gods, I can't believe this! I want my baby!"

Hiccup wanted to console her but before he could, Valka came into the room with a clean dark green top and another pair of undergarments. He took them from her and thanked her. "Please go back to bed, Mom." He begged. "I promise, I'll deal with this."

She hesitated before nodding. "Alright, Hiccup. Come and get me if you need anything." She cupped his cheek soothingly before returning to her bedroom.

Hiccup went back over to Astrid and showed her the clothes. "Here, I'm sure you'll feel a little better once you're in fresh clothes." He said, trying to keep his tone light.

Astrid glanced down at the garments in his arms but didn't respond.

Her boyfriend exhaled and got down on one knee. "Alright, I'll help you." He coaxed her into stepping into the underwear and gently pulled it up for her. Once he was back to his full height, he tugged at Astrid's top lightly. "May I?"

She nodded at him, raising her arms dejectedly.

He pursed his lips as he pulled her top up over her head. Once it was off he tossed it to the floor. Astrid rested her hands on Hiccup's upper arms, staring off behind him. He ran a hand down her bare side comfortingly before taking the clean top and slipping it over her head. After that was done he took a half-step back and tried to offer Astrid warm smile. But he assumed it came out more like a bitter pout. "There, that must feel better, huh?"

"Thank you." She whispered.

"Hey, it's okay..." he cupped her cheek lovingly. "It's gonna be okay."

"Hiccup," Astrid brushed his hand away, "I appreciate what you're doing, I really do. But _please_... I want to be alone."

"No. No, I can't leave you alone. That's insane! We have to—,"

"Please, Hiccup?" She begged. "Please just let me be alone?"

He sighed heavily. He was very reluctant to agree but he didn't want to go against her wishes. "Alright." He kissed her forehead. "Goodnight, Astrid."

"Night..."

Hiccup silently left the room and saw Toothless at the bottom of the staircase. His eyes were wide with confusion and he cocked his head to the side, as if asking what was wrong.

The young man trudged over to the dragon, giving him a smile, tired smile. "Hey, buddy..." He held out his fingers, letting Toothless sniff them before petting his nose softly. "AU, Toothless, things aren't so good at the moment."

Toothless moved closer, nuzzling his head into Hiccup's chest. He let out a purr, wanting to soothe his best friend. He didn't like seeing Hiccup so sad. Especially when he didn't really know why. He made another curious sound and continued to look up at Hiccup expectantly.

A heavy sigh escaped Hiccup's lips and he slumped against his dragon, rubbing the back of his coarse neck slowly. "Remember how I told you we're having a baby? Well... we aren't. We, uh, we lost it." Tears burned in his eyes and he clung to Toothless hopelessly, resting his cheek against dark scales. "I feel so terrible. Astrid – well, she blames herself for what happened. But it wasn't her fault. She was so looking forward to having a baby. So was I. And now..."

Hiccup choked off, dropping to his knees and burying his face in his hands. Why did this happen? Why did tragedy always strike him and his loved ones when things were just starting to become better? As he was rising up, life decided it was time to knock him down a few steps. He just couldn't catch a break. No, no... he was being selfish. This wasn't just about him. It was Astrid he was worried about._ She _was the one who so badly wanted to fall pregnant. To start planning for the baby's arrival just after she'd announced her pregnancy. Too thrilled to speak. So ready for what was ahead. Now it was all gone. Their little miracle was gone. After only a mere few weeks after hearing the two most magnificent words from his ecstatic girlfriend, it was over. Over before they ever got a chance to begin.

Toothless watched Hiccup for a minute, silently. It was after that short amount of pain that he did not want to see Hiccup suffer like this. He inched closer, wrapping his paws around the young man.

Hiccup stiffened in confusion but was quick to hug Toothless back tightly. He blinked into the dragon's chest, listening to the rhythmic heartbeat, letting himself be lull by it's ever-steady clockwork into a sleep that was haunted by the screaming of a beautiful blonde and a bloody, sickening infant.

* * *

**Author's Notes:** I know, I'm a terrible person. I just wanted to go about this a different way. Miscarriages aren't entirely uncommon so I wanted to explore that. Things don't always go smoothly in life and I wanted to show the struggle and how Hiccup and Astrid will later overcome it. Don't worry, this is far from the end. The next chapter will be better I promise.


	4. Chapter 4

**A Little Miracle**

**Chapter Four**

It was rather early when Hiccup woke, to the sound of someone quietly walking around the room. Then a chair scraping lightly across the hard floor. What could he say – he was a light sleeper. Something else that probably forced him to wake up was when he very suddenly realised how uncomfortable he was. Seriously. How was he even sleeping? It took him a small amount of time to realise that he wasn't in his bed but in fact on the ground.

Hiccup lifted his head and opened his eyes to black scales. He was slumped against Toothless, head on his chest and arms lazily draped around Toothless's neck. Not wonder he was so uncomfortable. Toothless also had his wings folded around the young man, in what he assuming was a comforting gesture. Hiccup's lip twitched up into a sleepy smile as he leant back. He began his gentle attempt at prying himself free from the dragon's wings, without waking him of course.

He manage to slip free and stood up, brushing down his tunic while Toothless hardly stirred.

"Good morning, dear."

Hiccup turned around and found his mother standing up from her seat, her breakfast of porridge now forgotten.

"Hey, Mom."

Her brows were pulled together in a trouble expression and she took a hesitant step closer. "How... how are you feeling?"

He stretched, rubbing the back of his neck. "Stiff. Toothless isn't the softest pillow." He glanced to the dragon quickly before meeting his mother's gaze. "I, uh, I don't know how I'm feeling. I'm coping, I guess. Not the first time I've, you know, lost someone..."

Valka sighed, pursing her lips. "Oh, Hiccup..." she closed the gap between them and pulled him to her chest. "I'm so sorry for what's happened."

"Well... you can't change the past." He muttered gloomily, resting his chin on her shoulder.

"You're right." Valka eased him back and cupped his cheek. "Many women go through miscarriages before they have a child. I did before I had you. I know a woman who had four miscarriages before her first child. I know women who lost their children just a few months after they were born." She brushed away one of his stray tears. "What happens happens. And what happens is obviously meant to be. No matter how horrifying it may be, you must look at the bigger picture. It's painful but you must move on. In the end, I had you and that's all that matters to me, dear. Fate must have something in mind for you. You'll get your child, I _promise_. This just wasn't the time."

Hiccup nodded, embracing his mother tightly once more. "Thanks for that, Mom."

She kissed his forehead. "Anytime, Hiccup." She stood back and offhandedly adjusted her tunic. "Now, I'm off to go see Cloudjumper. You should go talk to Astrid. Make sure she's getting better."

"I will."

When Valka left, Hiccup's shoulders slumped. _Astrid_. How was she going to be? Angry? Heartbroken? He wanted nothing more than to make her feel better but he supposed time was the only true cure.

He glanced over to his dragon absently, who was now awake, large eyes tracking his every little movement. He still seemed very concerned about Hiccup and this certainly made Hiccup feel a little better.

"Oh, hey there, bud." He walked over to Toothless and got down on one knee. "How'd you sleep last night, huh?"

Toothless purred as Hiccup scratched under his chin affectionately. He jumped closer, nuzzling the young man.

Hiccup let out a small chuckle. "Good morning to you too." He hugged the dragon, patting his back gently.

Toothless's eyes wandered past Hiccup, focusing on the doorway to the other room. He made a curious sound, his head jerking in that direction.

"Huh?" Hiccup followed his gaze. "Oh. Yeah, I better go check on Astrid. Why don't you get something to eat? What do you say, bud, you hungry?"

The dragon jumped up, nodding and giving Hiccup a gummy grin.

"Alright then. You go ahead. I'll, uh, I'll come find you as soon as I can. Okay?"

Hiccup rubbed Toothless's nose softly before patting him in the direction of the door. The Nightfury glanced at the door then back to Hiccup. Before leaving, he gave the young man a big lick on the cheek.

"Toothless!" Hiccup groaned, wiping his face. He swore he heard that dragon laughing as he left. Once his face was saliva free, his slowly and hesitantly began walking towards the other room. He really wanted to see Astrid. It seemed like quite a while since they hadn't slept in the same bed. It was almost surreal to wake up without her. Astrid was such a dominant part of his morning routine. He thought of the ways she'd sneak out, so she wouldn't be caught be the suspicious Chief. Now, his girlfriend practically lived with him. Or at least stayed the night for, well, every night.

And now?

Well, he wasn't sure. But first, he needed to see that she was... getting better. Or at least not getting worse.

He crept over to the other room – which was pretty difficult to do with a metal leg – as not to wake her if she was still sleeping. He pushed open the door and leant in. "Astrid?" He called softly.

The blonde, who was slumped against the wall, jerked up and quickly sat straighter. She had stayed in the same spot all night, aching. Sobbing. She could count all the times she'd cried in her life on one hand but this was different. Never had she ever felt so... well, that was just the thing. She wasn't sure how she'd even describe the emotion. Whatever she'd felt, she spent most of the night crying it out of her system. Flushing the pain and horrid thoughts away. She wasn't sure of she'd slept or not; it was all rolled into one big blur of blood and tears.

Now, however, she felt a little more refreshed. Her heart was beating fast from the sudden intrusion of her boyfriend. She met his worried, green eyes and gave him a calm, controlled smile. "Hiccup." It sounded more like a croak. She blinked a few times and cleared her throat. "Hi."

"Uh, hey there, sweetie." He said, returning her smile as he strolled over to her. "How're you feeling?"

Astrid opened her mouth, almost about to reply with a simple 'I'm fine' but, no; that was a lie. She couldn't say those words. It was wrong. She _hadn't _flushed the pain away with her tears. Try as she might, it wouldn't go away so quickly. She couldn't just said 'I'm fine' after what had happened. That would be the biggest disrespect to the unborn baby. The baby she had just lost. "I don't know." She replied truthfully. "I'm a mess. I'm sad and I'm angry and... and, oh, Gods, I don't know..."

Her boyfriend got down and sat next to her. "I know, it's a lot to take in." He drummed his fingers against his leg. "But, I mean, miscarriages aren't entirely uncommon, right? We probably should have seen this coming... Or at least taken it into consideration."

"It's not exactly something you _want_ to think about, is it?"

He slipped his arms around her. "Oh, Astrid..." he rested his cheek on her hair. "I _hate _this. I hate what you had to go through. It isn't fair but... Its what's meant to be."

Astrid pulled back, looking horrified. "How can you say that?" She demanded. "How can you say that about our baby?"

"Because this is just what fate has in store for us. We weren't meant to have a child at this time. This is all my Mom's advice so, uh,_ please _don't get mad at me, honey." Once he was certain Astrid wasn't going to punch him, he ran his knuckles across her cheek. "I'm so, so sorry this happened. We can't change it. But it's also not the end. We can try again. And again. And again."

"I don't want to keep _losing_ babies!"

Hiccup shook his head. "You won't." He swore firmly. "One day, you'll hold a beautiful little baby in your arms and it'll be the most wonderful thing ever. You'll have a baby, Astrid."

She eventually shook her head. "No, Hiccup," she took both his hands in hers, "_we'll_ have a baby."


	5. Chapter 5

**A Little Miracle**

**Chapter Five **

Astrid didn't like dwelling in the past. She didn't see a point to it. No amount of self-pity and no amount of tears were ever going to change the past.

She knew that moving on was her only option.

This time she was sure.

She waited a little longer just to be safe. She waited until she had physical proof, when the protrusion of the stomach became noticeable. Her little baby was _growing_. She was confident this time.

It had been hard keeping it from her boyfriend; she just wanted to announce it to everyone. She was pregnant again! But she forced herself to wait a few extra weeks though. She just had to be as _positive_ as possible.

The day had finally come when she decided it was time to tell Hiccup.

She wasn't worried about his response. He was just as confident as her in moving on. He wanted a child as badly as she did.

She woke late to Hiccup jumping around, struggling to get dressed. Brushing the stands of hair from her face – mostly her mouth – Astrid let out a groan as she dragged herself into a sitting position. It was usually at this point that Hiccup would tell her good morning; he had told her many times that watching her wake up was one of his favourite parts of his day.

However, he was usually still in bed with her when she woke up. Unlike today, where he was rushing around, muttering to himself about how _early_ Gobber made him get up.

Astrid raised a brow, pulling the blanket back and swinging her legs over the edge of the bed. "Well, good morning to you, too."

Hiccup paused and turned to face her, watching her cross her arms in amusement. "Oh, uh, hey."

She shook her and and stood. "What are you doing?"

"Ugh, I'm so _late_ – Gobber is going to kill me."

His girlfriend strolled over to him and straightened his shirt, smoothing it down absently. "Actually, Hiccup, if you have a moment, I—,"

"Sorry, can't talk. I really gotta go."

"Oh. Well, okay."

When he saw the way her face deflated and her lips pulled down into a grimace, he cradled her cheek in his hand. "I'm really sorry, Astrid. I'll make it up to you; come by around lunchtime, 'kay?"

She nodded. "I will."

He smiled faintly before kissing her forehead. "I gotta go."

"I'll see you later then."

She didn't want to rush anything anyway. Sure, she was excited but she couldn't just blurt out the news. Well, she could but it wouldn't be as memorable.

As he rushed downstairs, she could hear him calling to Toothless , telling him to wake up. Then she could hear Toothless grumble in protest.

"Yeah, yeah, I _know_ it's early. Don't be a big baby."

* * *

"Hey there, Chief." Astrid said as she ducked into Gobber's workplace.

The Chief and his right-hand man – though Gobber would argue it's the other way around – were busy making saddles and weapons and whatnot for the fellow Vikings as usual. Between jobs, Gobber was also tending to dragons by cleaning their teeth and replacing a tooth or two. So hospitable. Their business was certainly understandable; they delivered results.

Hiccup glanced up at her and immediately smiled. "Astrid, hi."

"So, do you have a moment? There's something we need to talk about."

"I'm a little busy, honey," Hiccup called as he took a freshly made saddle from Gobber, "but I'm going to be on my lunch break soon. Is it okay to tell me then?"

"Oh, and who says you're havin' a lunch break?" Gobber asked, arms crossed across his chest and a thick brow raised questionably.

"Uh, I do because I was up at the crack of dawn and didn't have breakfast." The young Chief glanced out to the small crown of villages. "So whose was this?"

"Oh, that's mine!" A large Viking pushed to the front, taking the saddle from Hiccup. "Thank you, Chief. I'm sure Spitfire will love this just as much as I do."

Hiccup chuckled. "You're welcome. Have a good day." He turned back to his girlfriend. "Um, anyway, can you wait a few more minutes, Astrid? I've gotta finish up a few things here before we go to lunch."

"Of course. Take your time."

"Toothless, bud, don't do that." Hiccup walked over to the dragon, who was pawing the tools out of curiosity, and scratched his head. "Hey, we'll go to lunch soon, okay?"

Astrid smiled at the two. She loved how patient and friendly Hiccup was with his best friend. _He'd make a great father._ That made her heart flutter slightly. _Don't think about that _just_ yet, Astrid... _She took a deep breath in to relax herself.

"Ye doin' okay there, lass?"

She glanced up at Gobber. "Me? Of course. Why wouldn't I be?"

He shrugged, his attention primarily on the sword he was smithing. "Ye just don't seem as composed as usual. Somethin' on yer mind?"

"Well, there's something I need to tell Hiccup." Astrid said discretely.

There was silence for a moment before Gobber spoke up again. "You've got the glow."

"Excuse me?"

"Oh, I think you know what I mean. I've been around quite a while, and I can spot the glow from a woman from a mile off."

Her eyes fell to her belly. She wasn't showing _that_ much was she? How could he possibly tell?

"Ah, so I'm right. You _are_ pregnant again."

"Wait, again?" She looked up. "Did Hic—_of course_ he told you."

Gobber nodded. "So you're ready to try this again?"

Astrid pursed her lips and have a tight nod. "I think so."

"Well, I wish ye the best of luck, as I'm sure everyone else will."

"Uh, Gobber?"

"Yes?"

"How did you know? Seriously?"

He waved his hook at her. "You've got the glow; the glow of a new mother. Hard to miss if ye know what you're lookin' for."

Her brow furrowed as she thought that over before offering the older man a smile. "Thanks, Gobber."

"Anytime."

"Alright," Hiccup clapped his hands together, "we can go now, Astrid."

"Are you sure? Nothing else you need to do? No little errands?"

He chuckled nervously. "Ah, you aren't mad are you?"

Astrid shook her head, laughing. "I just like watching you get all nervous."

Hiccup rolled her eyes and slipped an arm around her waist. "Come on, baby, let's go."

They began walking to the Great Hall, a rather awkward silence hanging in the air. It was very unusual for them to have uncomfortable moments. But Hiccup was curious about what Astrid wanted to tell him and Astrid was muling over _how_ she'd tell him. Astrid was about to speak when Toothless jumped between them.

"Oh, don't worry, we hadn't forgotten about you, buddy."

Astrid chuckled, bending down and resting her hands on her knees. "Uh, Toothless," she began apologetically, "could Hiccup and I have a moment or two alone?"

"Oh, come on, Astrid, is that really necessary?"

"Please. Just for a few minutes, I promise."

He glanced down at Toothless. The dragon pondered for a moment before nodded his head slightly. He walked to the entrance of the Great Hall and sat, waiting for them.

"This is something I just want _you_ to know, only for now though."

Hiccup took notice of how serious her tone was and eyed her cautiously. "Have I done something wrong?"

"Oh, no, don't worry; it's nothing _bad_, I promise."

"Then why all the urgency?"

"It's not bad. Just important. Like, really important."

Hiccup groaned. "Astrid, if you have gotten into a fight with someone and maimed them, I can't cover for you again—,"

"Don't worry! It's not like that! I'm serious, it's good news." She paused, crossing her arms. "Why do you always assume I've done something violent?"

He cocked a brow. "No reason at all."

She pursed her lips, growing frustrated. "I'm trying to give you some good news, so please, stop with all the _negativity_."

"What kind of news is important but good and yet, suddenly urgent, too?"

"This news. Seriously, you'll be flipping, I just know it!"

"That's what you said when you showed me that giant nest of bird-eating spiders. Are you sure this is actually important, honey?"

Astrid huffed, throwing her hands up. "Do the words '_I'm pregnant_' mean anything to you? How important does _that_ sound? Gods, you _ruin_ all my fun, Hiccup!"

She watched her boyfriend's eyebrows shoot up in complete surprise. "Uh, wait, what?"

It was about then she realised she did just _blurted out _her big surprise. "Ugh, _no!_ This isn't how I wanted to tell you!" She grumbled with a pout.

"Seriously," Hiccup sounded pretty bewildered, "you're _pregnant?_ Are you sure."

She nodded, lifting her shirt to reveal a small but definitive baby bump. "I waited for a while. I just had to be sure... I think I'm about six or seven weeks in, maybe a little more."

Hiccup knelt down on one knee and lightly ran his fingers across her stomach. "Look at you... you're pregnant!" He was quickly growing excited, rubbing his hand across her belly. "Okay, so don't hate me but I thought you were just putting on weight."

Astrid growled, punching him in the arm. "Jerk."

"Ah, hey! Aw, sweetheart, come on, don't be mad." He stood up and brushed the bangs from her eyes while she looked away sulkily. "Wait, you're upset because you didn't get to properly tell me?"

"I just wanted it to be happy, you know?"

Hiccup rested his hands on her shoulder. "Okay, okay. I got it; we'll just redo it. Go on, tell me – pretend I don't know and I'll act really surprised for you."

Astrid raised a brow. "Are you kidding?"

"Go on, go on. Pretend I know nothing."

"Fine..." she sighed, resting a hand on her hip. "So, Hiccup—,"

"Why, yes, Astrid, is there some thing you possibly want to tell me?"

"Uh, yeah..."

Hiccup gave her an overly serious look. "It must be extremely _important_. Please enlighten me, my darling."

Was he serious right now? "I'm pregnant, Hiccup."

Hiccup gasped dramatically, holding his hands to his cheeks. "What, pregnant? Oh, _Astrid_, how amazing!"

She covered her mouth to hide her smiles. She didn't want to let him know she's caved in and he won.

"This news _was_ important but good and yet, suddenly urgent, too."

She nodded, finally letting out her laughter. "I know right! I'm, ha, I'm glad you're excited..."

"Are you kidding? Of course I'm excited!" He paused, his face growing serious once again. "But, I mean, are you – are we ready for this?"

Astrid presided her lips together, brows pulled together as she thought for a moment, before giving her boyfriend a sure smile. "Pregnancy isn't a smooth ride. There are a lot of bumps. A lot of... _hiccups_." She poked his chest teasingly. "Sometimes things get a little, well, complicated. And sometimes – sometimes things get messy and you lose... you know... But we aren't giving up. We're gonna have a baby, Hiccup. I just know it."

He rested his hands and her shoulders and kissed her gently. "This really is amazing."

"I know."

"Come on. Let's go to the Great Hall. Toothless's probably thinks we've forgotten about him."

"Aw, we don't want that, do we?"

Hiccup chuckled, taking her hand and they starting running over to Toothless.

"Hey, bud," he called to the dragon, "great news!"

* * *

"Well, hello, you two." Valka greet warmly as the couple returned to the Haddock home. "How have your days been, hm?"

"Pretty good." Hiccup said casually. "Oh, hey, Mom, guess what..."

She arched a brow. "What is it, son?"

He dramatically threw his arms at Astrid, gesturing for her to bear the news. The blonde rolled her eyes. "I'm pregnant again, Valka."

Hiccup's hands shot up in the air. "_Surprise!_"

His mother couldn't help but chuckle at his antics. "Oh, Hiccup, Astrid, that's wonderful to hear." She walked forward and cupped both their cheeks in each hand. "I'm so proud of you two..."

"You should get a look at Astrid's belly, Mom."

Astrid nodded eagerly, lifting up her shirt. "I'm starting to show! It's so amazing."

Valka dropped on her knees and ran her hand across Astrid's belly. "Oh, look at you... look at you."

After a long and eager conversation with Valka about babies and names and what to expect, Hiccup and Astrid finally decided to head up to bed. They crawled into bed together, nestled closely as usual.

"Mm, I love you, Hiccup..." Astrid mumbled before yawning.

He chuckled softly. "I love you, too. Always will."

"Even when I start getting really fat?"

"Yes. And even when you get emotional and scream and crave really gross foods."

Astrid curled up against her boyfriend's chest. "You're the best."


	6. Chapter 6

**A Little Miracle**

**Chapter Six**

"So... we'll tell them together, right?"

"I just don't understand how we tell them together. Like, do you want us to say it at the same time? Or finish each other's sentences...?"

Hiccup exhaled. "We'll just tell them together, okay?"

"You didn't answer my question."

"You know what, Astrid, it doesn't matter. Let's just get this over with." He grimaced, running a hand through his hair. "I'm just dreading their reactions."

The walked into the Dragon Academy, where their friends were waiting for them, chatting amongst themselves.

Fishlegs was the first to notice them. "Oh, hey, guys, Hiccup and Astrid are here."

Tuffnut turned around. "Hey, kids, how's it going?"

Hiccup waved at them. "It's going pretty good, thanks, Tuff." He clapped his hands together and put on a serious look. "Hey, so, guys, if I could have all your attention. You see, we have something to tell you and they're not listening..." he trailed off flatly. "Of course."

"... and so last night I was totally chatting it up with one of the hottest girls on the island," Snotlout began with his usually smugness, "besides Astrid of course."

Astrid scoffed and crossed her arms.

"Who was it?" Tuffnut asked.

Hiccup frowned. "Uh, guys...?"

"Guinevere. She was _so_ into me last night, it was crazy."

"Oh, really?" Fishlegs took a step close to the other Viking, brows raised questionably. "Because I was talking to Guinevere this morning and and she said she spent the evening teaching her dragon Sunshower how to purr in tune with her singing."

Ruffnut raised a brow. "Ugh, she is so weird. Looks are the only thing going for her."

"Gods know there's nothing in that head of hers." Astrid muttered.

Meanwhile, Snotlout cleared his throat awkwardly. "Well, I mean, I did talk to her last night. Obviously she had her _priorities_ but I could see in her eyes that she wanted to stay. She wants me so badly."

Astrid made a noise of disgust. "Excuse me while I barf."

"I'll hold your hair back for you." Snotlout gave her a cocky grin.

Hiccup sighed, resting a hand on his girlfriend's shoulder. "Don't encourage him." He held up his hand to the others. "Anyway as I was saying—,"

"Oh, man, you guys should have seen Eret last night..." Ruffnut sighed dreamily, hugging her arms around herself. "He's so perfect in every single way."

"Ugh, I don't know what you see in that guy." Tuffnut shoved his sister. "You have such poor taste."

"Uh, excuse me, have you _seen_ his arms?"

"You know, I could look like that," Snotlout interjected, "if I wanted to. But I don't. Because it's just, it's too much for people to handle."

"So I see the conversation isn't on us anymore then." Hiccup shook his head and crossed his arms in frustration. "Not that it ever was."

"But I mean, Ruff does have a point." Astrid mused, staring off absently.

Hiccup scoffed. "Oh, what, are you kidding?"

The blonde shrugged casually. "What? Oh, _really_, can't I appreciate him? You have to admit his physique is..."

"Extremely unnecessary."

"I was gonna say Godlike..."

"Didn't you say you had something to tell us?" Ruffnut asked, interrupting the guys' argument on who had the best physique.

Astrid nodded. "Yeah, we do."

"Look, this is very serious news so we'd appreciate it if you would—,"

"What sort of serious news?" Tuffnut interrupted. "'_We just found a dead body in the forest'_ serious or '_the dead body we found isn't _there_ anymore and may be a zombie'_?"

"What? No, this has nothing to do with zombies!"

"If it's so serious why didn't you come running in here screaming the news at us? It's what you usually do." Snotlout said with his usual snide grin.

Hiccup groaned. "Its not that kind of news. It's not life-threatening."

"How can something be serious and not be life-threatening?" Tuffnut asked, looking puzzled.

"Because it's good news!"

"But how is something life-threatening _good_ news?" Ruffnut rubbed her chin curiously.

"Oh, for the love of—,"

"I'm pregnant!" Astrid shouted over the top of them.

The gang fell silent, all staring at Astrid's stomach.

"I thought we discussed we were going to tell them together!" Hiccup gestured at the others, frowning.

"You were taking too long."

Fishlegs was the first to overcome his shock. "Oh! Congratulations!" He rushed over to Astrid and took her hand. "How long have you been pregnant?"

She shrugged. "About nine weeks now."

Ruffnut threw her arms around the other girl. "This is so cool! I'm gonna be an Auntie!"

Hiccup arched a brow but said nothing.

Snotlout groaned. "There's gonna be _another_ Hiccup running around? I can't deal with two of them!" He tried to sound dismayed but there was a hint of approval on his face. "About time though."

Tuffnut crouched next to Astrid, eyeing her stomach. "Wow, you gonna get so fat."

"Oh, are you showing yet?" Ruffnut asked excitedly, clutching Astrid's arm.

"I have the tiniest baby bump." Astrid exposed her belly to the others. "It's kinda hard to see but it's there."

Fishlegs sighed. "Just think about it... We were only kids ourselves a few years back, and now we're having babies ourselves."

Snotlout snickered. "Uh, last time I checked, Astrid is the only one who's pregnant." He poked the other Viking's stomach. "Unless _you_ have a baby in there."

"Obviously," Tuffnut said as Fishlegs shoved Snotlout away, "we need to talk about baby names. I think if it's a boy it should be named after me."

Astrid's brows pulled together in amusement and confusion. "Why?"

"Because I'm obviously the best person in the world and the baby needs to be named after someone great."

Ruffnut elbowed her brother. "Shut up, Tuff. If it's a boy they're obviously gonna name it something good. Like after the Chief or something."

Both Astrid and Hiccup looked at each other, then at Ruffnut.

"What did I say?"

"That's... that's actually not a bad idea..." Hiccup sighed. "Oh, man, I really wish he were, you know, still here to see this. He was really looking forward to grandkids."

His friends watched on sympathetically. They didn't talk about this much. Because really, what could they say? Nothing would bring his father back. And they didn't want to say the wrong thing and upset their friend. Even though Hiccup had made a lot of progress on moving on, times like this just couldn't be helped.

Astrid wrapped her arms around his waist. "Hey, it's alright. Look, you still have all your friends here who are excited. You have your mother and I know she'll be thrilled when she's finally a grandmother. And you have me."

After a moment, Hiccup smiled wryly. "Well, obviously. I mean, can't really have the baby _without_ you."

She laughed and clapped him on the back before taking a step back. "_That's_ the spirit, babe."

And just like that, the low, and frankly sort of awkward, mood suddenly lifted, as quickly as it came.

"So who's gonna place bets on it being a boy or girl?" Snotlout grinned.

Ruffnut's arm shot up immediately. "Me! I think it's gonna be a bouncing baby boy."

"Ditto on the boy." Tuffnut added.

"I think it'll be a sweet little girl." Fishlegs contradicted.

Snotlout shook his head, chuckling. "No such thing as a _sweet_ Viking, Legs." He shrugged. "But I agree on the girl thing. You guys will get a little monster of a daughter, no doubt. I mean look at you; Hiccup's stubbornness and Astrid's hardcore-ness."

"Wow, thanks, Snotlout. Really summed it up."

Astrid linked arms with Hiccup. "He's right though. Out baby will be so kick-ass."

* * *

**Author's Notes: **I hope you enjoyed this chapter. It was pretty fun to write. Now that we're up to the actually pregnancy, I'd love to hear your suggestions on this. Just throw some suggestions on names, maybe weird cravings Astrid could get, how they would prepare for the baby and so on. Anyway, reviews are always appreciated. Until next time...


	7. Chapter 7

**Author's Notes:** I feel like this chapter is really short... Anyways bit about morning sickness and more pregnancy announcements, of sorts. Enjoy.

* * *

**A Little Miracle**

**Chapter Seven**

"Hiccup, where will the baby sleep?"

"Wow, you really like to plan _early_, huh? You've been pregnant for what, a little over two months?"

"You can never to too prepared."

The couple were lounging in bed together in the late morning. They had already left the house and had breakfast. But it was a really slow day at work so Gobber, that wonderful man he was, let Hiccup have the day off. It seemed like a slow day for most of Berk. Maybe it was because the weather was so gloom. Not that Hiccup was complaining. It felt pretty good to be able to spend all day with his girlfriend. It didn't really happen often.

"So, where _will_ the baby sleep?"

Hiccup focused his attention back on Astrid. "Oh, uh, with us, in my bedroom. Well, really, _our_ bedroom. I swear, you have more clothes at my house than you do your own. We're running out of space to keep them."

She shrugged. "What's yours is mine and I take what I please, including space."

"Right. What else are you planning? What the baby will wear? Eating schedule? The exact second you'll have it?"

"Well, I mean, you can't plan everything. But come on, Hiccup, you gotta share these experience with me! Remember, I'm not pregnant," she took his hand and placed it on her stomach, "_we're_ pregnant."

"Okay, that was extremely creepy..."

Astrid chuckled, giving him a light shove. "Unlike you, Hiccup, some of us like thinking _positively_ about this. I don't know why you're so—," she suddenly broke off, one hand clamping over her mouth and the other wrapping around her middle, hugging it tightly.

"Uh, Astrid? What's wrong...?"

She suddenly jumped up, running towards a bucket Hiccup kept in the corner of his room (a temporary solution for leaks in the winter), picking it up and holding it to her face. Hiccup was about to question her once more but before he could open his mouth, she began retching into the bucket.

"Oh, _great_..." Hiccup said flatly, "morning sickness. So it begins."

He walked over to her, clenching and unclenching his hands awkwardly. Should he comfort her? He leaned in closer to offer his help but almost immediately moved back. _Oh, Gods, it smells awful._

_Don't be a wimp, _his inner voice ordered, _do it for her._ Why did his inner voice sound so much like _Astrid_?

Trying hard not to breathe in, he moved closer and rested what was suppose to be a comforting hand on her shoulder. At first, Astrid tried to flinch away but another wave of sickness hit her and her attention returned to the bottom of the bucket once again.

Hiccup watched the beads of sweat form on her forehead and listened to her gasping and gagging noises as she tried to catch her breath. Sighing, he gently began wiping away loose strands of hair that were clinging to her face and holding back her braid. "That's it, Astrid..." he murmured encouragingly, trying to somewhat soothe her. "That's it, just relax... That's my girl..."

Finally, her retching dyed down into a hacking cough and not too long after that she was just panting, blinking furiously, with trembling hands and legs.

Hiccup slipped a supportive arm around her to keep her balanced. "I gotcha. It's alright, baby, it's over." He pressed his lips to the side of her head.

"Hiccup..." Astrid began, looking up with him, face flushed, eyes watery.

"Yes?"

"Don't be so patronising."

He cocked a brow at her. "Well, _excuse_ me for being supporting."

She rolled her eyes at him. "You're supportive enough without saying 'that's my girl', seriously, Hiccup." She cleared her throat and spun herself free from his arms. "Well, I'm gonna go clean myself up and," she glaced down at the bucket, "get rid of this. Sorry about all this."

"Hey, don't worry about it. You can help it. It's all part of the, uh, beauty of pregnancy."

* * *

Once Astrid was feeling better, they decided to go for a little walk together to get some fresh air. Another thing they hardly ever got to do. Not just a quick walk around town during lunch, but a nice, long walk, alone together. It wasn't as if the weather was too great – the sky looked ready to pour with rain. Besides, they were noted focused on each other, rather than their surroundings. It was nice to just walk and talk. More talk about pregnancy, about work, about the Dragon Academy, and so on.

Eventually, sky gree darker and they didn't want to be caught in the middle of the rain, so they began to head back to the house. As they passed through the middle of town, the couple could tell something was up. Everyone was looking at them, but no one would say hello. They all just smiled and whispered with one another.

Hiccup glanced around warily. "You don't think they..."

"Oh, Gods..."

Eret caught sight of them and strolled over. "Well, well, if it isn't Berk's favourite couple?"

"Hey there, Eret." Astrid waved at him.

"Favourite couple? That can never mean anything good."

"Word around the village is you two are expecting a child." Eret crossed his arms, watching them expectantly.

"Wow, news sure travels fast around the Berk grapevine..."

Astrid rolled her eyes. "It's only been a _day_ since we told the others."

"So, you are pregnant?"

Hiccup nodded. "That would be correct."

"Well, then congratulations, kids." Eret grinned, bowing his head slightly. "I wish you the best of luck."

"Thank you."

"You sure you know what you're getting into?"

Astrid scoffed. "You kidding. We'll be super parents, right, Hiccup?"

"Yeah, uh, how do you raise children?"

Eret chuckled. "Hiccup, if you're anything like your father, you'll be a _great_ parent."

"Oh, _Eret_!"

He turned and saw Ruffnut strolling over, wiggling her fingers at him. He glanced back at the couple. "Well, I suppose I should be heading off now. Lunch with Ruffnut."

"Oh, like a date?" Astrid raised a brow, giving him a sly look.

"Aha, absolutely _not_."

Hiccup glanced at the blonde waltzing over to them. "Does _she_ know that?"

Eret merely shrugged, pursing his lips. "She can think whatever she wants, so long as it keeps her happy."

Astrid smiled to herself. They had lunch almost every day together – and not just they walked over to the Great Hall together and say with friends, at lot of the time it was just the two of them. Whether or not Eret just did it out of pity or to keep her from whining and whether or not Ruffnut was disturbingly attached to him, Astrid was just waiting for something to happen between them. Eret seemed like the only one that could stomach Ruffnut's affection; likewise Eret was certainly the kind of man Ruff would ever considered showing affection to. Astrid knew it was only a matter of time.

Hiccup saw her look and chuckled, tightening his grip around her waist and leading her off in the other direction. "We'll see you later, Eret."

"Alright, have a good day, you two – and another good six or seven months of pregnancy."

"You promised you'd have lunch with me." They heard Ruffnut say once she reached Eret.

"Yes, alright, love, alright. We'll go to lunch..."

His voice faded off as she dragged him away.

"He's right, you know?"

"Huh? About what?"

Astrid smiled at him, poking his chest. "You'll be a great parent, I'm completely confident."

"Why, thank you, Astrid. I bet you will, too."

"Naturally."

Hiccup rolled his eyes. "Right. So what comes after the morning sickness?"

"Let's see..." she held out her hand and began listing off everything, "getting fatter, organs getting all squished – lots of peeing, you know, compress bladder and all. Uh, back pains, aches, everything hurts, cravings, baby kicking, more pains, weariness, and eventually agonising contractions leading to a long and painful childbirth.

"Wow, we have so much to look forward too."

Astrid scoffed. "What do you mean _we_? _I'm_ the one who's gonna go through all of it."

Hiccup smirked, pulling her to a stop. "Now, remember, Astrid, you're not pregnant," he held her close, squishing their cheeks together before whispering, "_we're_ pregnant."

In response, his girlfriend punched him in the gut, laughing as she then threw her arms around his neck, yanking him into a deep kiss.

* * *

**Author's Notes: **There we go, another chapter. For those who don't know, I have a few fics on Eret and Ruffnut and their... relationship, if any of you want to check them out. Anyway I hoped you enjoyed. Sorry for the (lack of) editing; it's pretty late. Until next time...


	8. Chapter 8

**Author's Notes:** So I've gotten a few reviews about Astrid and Hiccup having to be married before they have a baby. And yes, you're right, that is what's typically traditional in that time period, however, these movies have a lot to do with breaking tradition, which isn't always bad. And if we're talking about real life, it's okay for people to have children before they get married. Back to Hiccup and Astrid, I mean, they've been together for quite a few years. They're responsible, mature adults; it wouldn't make that much of a difference to their relationship when they get married and have children, so long as they are happy. I'm really sorry if this upsets anyone but this is how I want to write it.

Anyway, I'm sorry for this rant... On with the story. Bit of a time jump this time; about four months into the pregnancy now.

* * *

**A Little Miracle**

**Chapter Eight**

"Did you know Berk is almost entirely rebuilt?"

"Wow, and it only took you, what, six months?

Hiccup laughed sarcastically. "I'm not sure you're aware of how much hard labour went into this. You know, it actually takes a while to rebuild stuff. And to add onto stuff. I mean, look at all the homes we had to make for the new dragons. And re-dragon-proofing stuff. A sturdy town is a happy town, Astrid."

She held up her hands. "It was a joke, okay?" She poked him in the ribs. "Stop being so serious, seriously."

"_Seriously_?"

"Yes, I'm seriously serious." Astrid grinned, lacing her fingers through his. "But seriously," her tone sobered up, "I am proud of you, Hiccup. You've really been a great leader so far."

"Thanks, Astrid." He cupped her cheek in his hand, stroking the skin with his thumb absently. "You've always been my rock... with your bluntness and your dry humour."

"Aw, love you, too."

As she stood on her toes, he slung an arm around her waist, pulling her up for a kiss.

Hiccup grinned into the kiss, letting himself relax. Between being the Chief, managing and helping with the building and upgrading happening on the island, and Astrid being pregnant, Hiccup felt pretty highly strung. It was nice to be able to momentarily have some peace of mind.

However, back to Astrid'd pregnancy...

He glanced down at her stomach, grimacing. He loved Astrid, he really did. But she was _infuriatingly_ stubborn sometimes and it just wasn't always in her best interest.

For example, she's refusing to acknowledge that she needs to start wearing clothes that actually fit. Her shirts were really starting to be pushed to their limits and she could hardly fit into her skirts anymore.

"So, uh, Astrid," he began casually as they continued walking, trying to play it cool, "don't you think it's time to start wearing things that actually... fit you?"

She immediately stopped and let go of his hand. Oh, Gods, no amount of coolness would subdue her offence. Or her anger.

"I think I'll be the one decided whether or not my clothes still fit me."

_Oh, Odin, I hate hormones._

"Aren't you uncomfortable like this?" He gestured at the slither of exposed belly.

Even if she was, he knew she wouldn't admit it by now. "Hiccup, you can't tell me what to do; I am in charge on my own body and will make my _own_ choices when I'm ready." She put a hand on her hip, her expression just _daring_ him to oppose her. "I think my clothes fit fine."

Hiccup sighed, raising his hands in defeat. "I'm just saying this in your best interest, alright?"

"Whatever, let's just get to the Academy."

She briskly walked off, leaving him behind to regret ever opening his mouth.

All of their friend were already in the arena, affectionately talking to and playing with their dragons.

Toothless instantly bounded over to Hiccup; it was clear that the dragon had been patiently waiting for his best friend.

"Hey, buddy." Hiccup scratched Toothless under his chin lightly. Toothless purred in approval, bumping his nose against Hiccup's. The young man smiled absently, kneeling down and petting his dragon.

"Right," Astrid picked up an axe, swinging it over her shoulder, "what are we breaking today?"

Hiccup gritting his teeth, standing up and running over to his girlfriend. Before she even noticed he was next to her, he took the axe out of her hand. "What do you think you're doing?"

"Training." Astrid relied testily, making a reach towards the handle. "Give me back my axe."

He held the weapon away from her. "Ah, no; you're at least four months pregnant. You can't be training. You could strain yourself or hurt the baby. I mean, just look how slow your reaction time is."

"You want me to just stop training and fighting for another five months?"

"Astrid, honey, don't make this difficult."

Astrid huffed impatiently. "Hiccup, give me my axe!"

The others had stopped what they were doing and 'subtly' listened in on the argument. Even the dragons had paused and were listening.

"Please, Astrid? I want this to go as smoothly as possible."

"I'm not gonna let a baby stop me from doing what I want."

"Okay, that came off as kinda selfish—,"

"So now I'm _selfish?_"

"Oh, my Gods, Astrid, please don't freak out at me. You're just emotional from your pregnancy."

"Ohh, he did not just say that..." Ruffnut whispered, a massive grin plastered on her face, eagerly watching for what would happen next.

Hiccup was sure he was Astrid's face darken a shade. "I'm over-emotional?"

"Can we pretend I didn't say that. L-let me just start again and, uh, I'll—,"

"I'm _sorry_ we can't be all level-headed like you!"

"Too true!" Snotlout piped in.

"Shut up, Snotlout!" The couple both growled in unison.

The blonde turned back to Hiccup. "What's your problem with me today anyway? First my clothes, now my axe. Why do you feel the need to always be in control?"

"Well, Thor knows one of us has to be responsible!"

Astrid's eyes widened in shock before suddenly narrowing in anger. "_Excuse me?_"

A collective "oooh" could be heard from the others.

Hiccup held up his hands in defensive, and a little bit of fear. "I-I-I'm just saying, Astrid, think about the baby."

"Oh, I'm thinking about the baby; I'm thinking about how much it would suck if it turns out as controlling as you." Astrid said venomously, eyes hard.

"Yeah, well, hopefully it isn't as irresponsible as you. Here," he thrust the axe back in her hands, "do what you want with it."

She tried her best not to stumble but the gesture caught her of guard. "I-I will! You aren't the boss of me."

"Good. Have fun." Hiccup glanced around gloomily. "You know what, I think I'm gonna skip training today and help Gobber and my mom out."

"Oh, Hiccup, are you sure?" Fishlegs asked, the only one of their friends who expressed any form of _concern_ about the argument.

Hiccup nodded. "Yeah, I'll see you guys later." He gave Astrid one more sour look before leaving. "Come on, Toothless."

The dragon glanced at Astrid, looking confused but the whole ordeal. After a moment, he followed after his rider, still turning to look back at the others twice before he left.

"That was disappointing." Tuffnut grumbled.

Ruffnut nodded her head. "Yeah, I was expecting her to sock him one."

Astrid let up a growl and swung her ace around wildly. She hurled it at one of stacks of barrels near them. It didn't even make it all the way. She grimace, glancing down at the bump sticking out and rested a hand on it.

Snotlout snickered. "Oh, wow, you really can't do anything with a belly like that!"

She punched in square in the jaw. "I can still do that."

He didn't reply, he just rubbed his jaw sourly and the others, even the dragons, just cracked up at him.

Meanwhile, Astrid stalked off, muttering to herself.

* * *

Hiccup always gave himself – and Astrid – time to calm down before approaching her after an argument. Mostly because he was angry at himself for fighting and he didn't want anything to start up again. And partly because he want to save himself from things getting physical.

So he stayed true to his word and helped up Gobber and his mother as they smithed and tended to dragons. Unfortunately, today of all days was painfully slow and Hiccup was more or less stuck thinking about Astrid all day.

He knew he was definitely in the wrong. He couldn't tell her what she could and couldn't do; he wasn't her father. And he couldn't say stupid things like how he blamed her anger on her pregnancy. _Gods, I'm such an idiot. I don't even know why she still likes me sometimes._

He was left with his confronting, frustrating thoughts and couldn't put them into words because even after he gave up on working, he could not find Astrid. He checked in the usual places she went to 'let off steam' such as the forest and Stormfly's pen. He even checked back at the Academy but no sign of her.

After another twenty minutes of searching through the town, he finally found her sitting the dock, legs dangling over the edge and head tilted back, exposing her face to the minute amount of sunlight that was out.

Hiccup cleared his throat, rather awkwardly, and knelt down beside her. "Uh, hi there..."

Aas soon as she held him approach, she faced away from him, pointedly ignoring him

"Okay, hint noted." He said flatly before sighing and tried to put an arm around her. "Look, Astrid, honey, I didn't—," he cut off when she elbowed him in the ribs. "Ah! Okay, I-I deserved that. But can we please talk about this?"

"Oh, what is there to talk about, Hiccup!" You don't think I'm responsible!" Astrid accused, her body quickly twisting back around so she could glare at him.

Hiccup quickly raised his hands in defence. "Hey, hey, calm down. You know I didn't mean it that way. It was just a, ah... I messed up." He sat down next to her, his legs also over the edge of the dock. "I'm sorry I'm turning something beautiful into a mess and—,"

"Hiccup, it's going to be a mess no matter what you do. You can't plan _everything_."

"I'll have you know that I do wing a lot of stuff and – and that was a good dragon pun."

Astrid groaned defeatedly, trying pretty hard not to show a smile at that pun, slumping against him and closing her eyes.

He waited for a few moments, expecting another jab in the ribs. When it didn't happen he slowly wove his arm around her waist. She didn't react, but, hey, she push him away.

Honestly, Hiccup had so much to say that he just could not form into coherent sentences. But he just forgot about it all; sometimes just sitting next to one another cleared up the tension, clear up all the muddle in his mind and helped him seem straight. Having Astrid sitting so close... listening to her quiet sighs, her breathing, Gods, it always made the fights so ridiculous. Why fight when you could just bask in each other's company?

"Hiccup?"

"Hm, yeah?"

"Do you think I'll make a good mother?"

Raising a brow, Hiccup sat up straighter. "What? What kind of a question is that? Of course you will; you've wanted this, right?"

"I'm just scared."

"Wow, it's not often you hear those words coming out of your mouth."

"Hiccup, I'm serious."

"So was I..."

Astrid payed no mind to that last comment. "I feel like I'm gonna mess this whole thing up, you know?""

Her boyfriend exhaled, running a hand through his hair. "Trust me, I feel like that every day of my life."

She lifted her head, resting the tips of her fingers against his cheek. "Hey, don't say things like that. You're amazing. Always have been."

"You're every bit as amazing, Astrid. And, I think as parents, we'll be both good and bad at it. Yeah, we'll make mistakes but... we'll learn."

The blonde grinned and put her arms around Hiccup's neck, peering up at him. "You're the best, baby." She kissed his cheek lightly before resting her head in the crook of his shoulder. "Hey, listen, I kinda neet to apologise for the way I acted today. It wasn't fair to you. You don't control things that much."

He rested his chin on her head. "Eh, don't worry about it. I deserved it; I was a jerk. You stop training when you feel it's time to. And you can wear whatever you want, honey." He continued rubbing circles into her back, nice and slow.

"I love you, okay? I always will, not matter how many stupid fights we have."

Hiccup smiled. "Right back at you."

* * *

Just before sunset, Astrid had headed home while Hiccup went over to Gobber to help him pack up. He also apologised for leaving without saying anything and got grumbled at for about ten minutes. Everyday is a new lecture from that man

Astrid just went straight to the Haddock household, where she found Valka was sitting at the table, reading a book and sipping at a cup of tea.

"Hey, Val, how was your day?" Astrid asked as she stepped inside.

"Oh, Astrid, hello, dear. I had a wonderful day, thank you for asking. When I was taking a break from helping Gobber, Cloudjumper and I were teaching some babies dragons flying techniques. Ah, wee little things. They were so cute."

"That sounds great."

Valka nodded, sitting down next to Astrid. "And how was your day?"

Astrid shrugged. "Eh, got into a stupid fight with Hiccup."

"About what?" Valka's tone became very concerned. She rested her hand on Astrid's arm. "Is everything alright, love?"

The blonde waved her hand dismissively. "Oh, pfft, everything's fine. It was just about clothes."

The other woman's brows pulled together, exposing the creases in her forehead. Astrid's mother had always told her that the more a mother worries, the more lines they have on their forehead. Though she didn't really believe it now, Astrid swore Valka had way more creases in her forehead than when they met. All they years of worrying came at once, it seemed.

However, when Valka's eyes fell down to Astrid's stomach, a knowing smile spread across her face. "Wait, I think I understand... are you running low on clothes that fit you?"

Astrid chuckled, nodding her head and looking down. "Probably starting to push the limits on these. Hey, you wouldn't have any clothes that would fit me, would you?"

Valka tapped her chin. "I think I still have a trunk full of clothes I used to wear years ago, before I... before I, well, left. Anyway, I might still have a few tunics and shirts I wore when I was pregnant with Hiccup."

She stood up, excited, taking Astrid'd arm and pulling her up as well. "Come with me, dear." She tugged the now laughing girl off to where the trunk was stashed.

Hiccup came home not too long, Toothless by his side. "Mom? Astrid?" He called as he walked inside.

When he didn't get a reply, he just shrugged and began to remove his armour. There were many mornings he woke up completely energised, ready to live life to the fullest and whatnot, and so he got all dressed up in his armour, and looked pretty badass in it too. Not all of his days were energised and he could hardly be bothered looking presentable. And most of the time on his energised days, by the end of the day he was so exhausted and just want to crawl into bed. Oh, but there was one problem; he needed to take of his freaking armour. Which actually took forever because he was a complicated idiot who liked to set the bar incredibly high for himself.

As Hiccup was removing his shoulder pads and setting them on the table, Toothless heard some movement in another room. He perked up and nudged his best friend in the side before pointing his nose in the direction of the sound.

"Something wrong, bud?" Hiccup followed the dragon's gaze.

Astrid came into the room, wearing a loose fitting tunic that was a nice, creamy colour – and it completely covered her stomach.

"Oh, hey..." he grinned at her, gesturing at her new outfit. "Wow, look at you. That must feel more comfortable, right, Astrid?"

She rolled her eyes. "Yeah, yeah." She tugged at the hum of her tunic. "You like it? Your mom gave it to be. She gave me a few clothes, actually."

As if on queue, Valka also came out, a hand on her hip. "Dear, don't put your armour on the table." She chastised him with a stern, yet playful, look.

"I'll move it in a moment."

Valka just smiled and greeted Toothless affectionately when he passed over to her, while Hiccup crossed the room and engulfed his girlfriend in a tight embrace. "I'm proud of you."

Astrid rolled her eyes and leant back. "All I did was put on stuff that fit me properly."

"And you've never looked better."

She grinned at him, linking her arms around his neck and leaning in for a kiss.

* * *

**Author's Notes:** Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. Sorry it's been a while, been swamped with a lot of work; I currently have school exams but now I have a few days off. I'll try and update soon next time.


	9. Chapter 9

**Author's Notes: **This had actually been finished for a while but I hadn't had time to edit and upload it. Well, here it is now. Enjoy.

(Oh, and Astrid is about 4-5 months pregnant)

* * *

**A Little Miracle**

**Chapter Nine**

She didn't realise how intently she was staring at her bowl until she began to notice all the little cracks in it. And yet, she saw nothing. Too focused. But not.

Astrid shook her head firmly. She was supposed to be listening to Hiccup. She could hear his voice but he wasn't saying coherent words. At least, she wasn't hearing them. _Focus, Astrid._

"The weather is just _awful_ today. We didn't even go flying because I was not in the mood to start the day being soaking wet."

She could distinctively hear Toothless sulking grumpily behind (because _he_ didn't think it was too wet) but _she_ wasn't really sure why.

"Don't be a baby. Anyway, Fishlegs has a lesson planned. Something to do with dragon eggs or something. Should be interesting I supp-are you even listening?"

His voice was so wonderful to listen to. So smooth, yet always a little awkward. Just like him. _Wait, what is he saying?_

"Astrid?" He clicked his fingers in front of her. "Hey, you okay, baby?"

She suddenly blinked and reared back like he had shoved her. "What?" Her voice adopted a very demanding tone. She wasn't becoming defensive on purpose; she just didn't want him to think she was being a ditz. "What is it?"

"You completely zoned out there. Are you alright?"

She nodded, probably too much. She was playing it up now. "Totally fine."

Hiccup hesitated, remembering what happened last time he tried suggesting something to her that regarded her pregnancy. "You look pretty tired, Astrid. Are you _sure_ you're okay to come today? You know you're always welcome to stay in bed."

"Nah, I'll be fine, Hiccup. I can take care of myself."

He nodded and clapped his hands together. "Great. So, uh, wanna get going?"

"Sure." She stood up. "Come on, let's go."

"Uh, Astrid, you may wanna get changed first..."

She glanced down, quickly realising she was still wearing her night gown. Or more specifically, her maternity night gown, which was extra stretchy... and pretty see through.

"Oh, uh, right..." She mumbled, shuffling past him to the staircase.

"Not that I don't love you in this, though." Hiccup ran his fingers down her side as she went past.

She knew he was only trying to make her feel better. Most mornings, she was up and ready to go, out the door before Hiccup had even done up all his buckles. But lately, she felt so forgetful and dopey. It was frustrating! No matter how hard she forced herself to focused, she'd just slip away into absentmindedness and absolutely lose track of what she was doing.

She threw on a loose fitting tunic and some leggings, along with her shoulder pads, armbands and boots. She also grabbed her warm, fur lined coat and slipped it on – Hiccup was always nagging her to dress warmer. Her hair was a mess and she probably could have redone her braid or at least smoothed it down a bit but she didn't want to keep Hiccup waiting any longer. So she just tucked her hair into her hood.

Hurrying downstairs, she found Toothless padding out the open door while Hiccup was coaxing him to come back. "Come on, bud, Astrid will be down soon. Just wait for her." He heard her coming down the stairs and straightened up. "Hey, ready to go now?" He offered his arm out to her.

She nodded, taking his arm with a smile. "Let's go while there's a break in the weather."

Hiccup closed the door behind them and the three headed down to the village. There was a slight drizzle but the past and growing storm hung heavily in the air, sending extra chills down everyone's spines.

"So I notice you aren't wearing your bindings..." He really could help but stare.

Astrid almost felt like covering up. She probably would have if it weren't her boyfriend. She guessed he just thought she had forgotten in her haste but the truth was it was becoming more and more painful to wear her bindings due to the... swelling of her breasts. But she didn't need to bother Hiccup with those nitty gritty details and so she just shrugged, wrapping her coat across her chest.

Hiccup decided not to press any further.

Toothless huffed at them, running a few circles around them before walking ahead at a faster past.

"Alright, bud, we're coming."

"Toothless, do you know how much extra weight I'm having to carry around lately?" Astrid asked, grinning wryly at the dragon.

He just snorted and pointed down the hill with his nose.

"Yeah, we'll get there when we get there." Hiccup replied as they caught up to the dragon, giving him a pat on the head.

Toothless dragged his feet along the ground, displeased with how slow they were going.

They didn't get much further when they saw the twins trudging along together.

"Hey, guys." Hiccup called out to them.

The two looked up and stopped walking, waiting for the couple to catch up with them.

"Oh, hey, Hiccup." Tuff greeted grouchily. "We're just heading over to the Academy."

"Another one of Fishlegs' stupid lessons." Ruffnut muttered sourly. "I'd rather pull off my own fingernails."

Tuffnut nodded. "I'd rather jab twigs into my eyes."

Hiccup rolled his eyes. "Okay, they aren't that bad. Suck it up; this information could be usual one day."

"Yeah, training isn't always about physical stuff." Astrid added.

"She's right; your mind is as just important as your body. And theory is as just as important as practice."

"Well, I suppose you're right." Tuffnut agreed reluctantly. "I do see myself as someone who has more brains than brawn."

Astrid could feel herself tuning out. She was staring at the ground, kicking the grass occasionally. She shook her head inconspicuously, trying to wake herself up. No one was really looking at her anyway. The twins had gone off topic as usual and were discussing the new tricks they had taught their dragon – or dragons? – while Hiccup genuinely sounded impressed. Even if he wasn't, he'd still probably compliment them. Astrid's lips lifted absently. He was so nice like that...

She felt the strangest sensation, as if she were completely weightless. She couldn't quite put her finger on why she felt like this.

Until the ground suddenly wasn't under her feet anymore.

A loud shout, which awkwardly sounded like a cry, escaped her lips as she lost her footing and her backside landed on the wet grass. Since her and Hiccup still had their arms linked, at that same moment, she dragged Hiccup down with her and the two of them went sliding down the rest of the hill. Instinct kicked in and her hands clutched her belly protectively. Luckily, they were relatively close to the bottom. Unluckily, the hill was frosty and wet and just very unpleasant to fall down.

Only Astrid could make falling down a hill graceful, however, as she neatly landed in a sitting position, with hardly a hair out of place.

Hiccup, however fell on his side as he landed and he could hear his dragon laughing from where they were originally standing. He groaned to himself as he stood up. _Looks like I am starting the day soaking wet. _He began to brush off all the little water droplets that were clinging to the leather on his outfit. He quickly gave up on that and turned his attention to Astrid, kneeling down next to her.

"Astrid?" He rested a hand on her shoulder, a little concerned (and trying his hardest not to laugh). "Gods, are you okay?"

He started using his thumb to wipe a few droplets of water from her face but she shooed his hand away. "I think so... What happened?"

"You just... I don't know, you slipped." He rubbed her stomach soothingly. "Baby okay?"

Her eyes fell downwards, a little nervous she had injured her little baby. But there was no pain; all seemed well. For the baby anyway. "Yeah, it's fine." She patted her belly. "I'm sorry."

Hiccup exhaled, standing up and offering a hand to his girlfriend. "Hey, don't worry about it."

She took it, refusing to look at him as he hoisted her up. He tried to offer her a smile but she simply didn't acknowledge it. So instead he just led her back up to the path, where the twins were waiting, curious to know what happened. Hiccup gave them one look and they knew that neither of them were allowed to utter a single chuckle over this.

"You okay, Astrid?" Ruffnut asked offhandedly, trying to be casual.

"Fine, fine. Completely fine."

"So, like, what happened? Did your brain just shut down or what?" Tuffnut asked.

"I just, uh, lost my footing, I suppose. It's wet and I've been pretty tired lately..." It was purely coincidental that a yawn pushed past her lips at that moment.

Hiccup fumed, holding her forearms gently. "Are you sure you're okay, sweetheart?"

She knew he was genuinely concerned; he wasn't trying to be patronising and he didn't think she couldn't look after herself. And since he was trying not to offend her, she would do her best not to offend him. "Thanks for the concern, babe, but it's fine, really."

Hiccup just shrugged. "Okay, well, let's just get to the Academy. Fishlegs will get huffy if we're late. Ruff, Tuff, you guys coming?"

The twins simultaneously groaned. "We have no choice, do we?" Ruffnut asked hopelessly.

"Nope."

Tuffnut crossed his arms, dragging his feet along the ground. "Then we're coming."

* * *

"Dragon eggs come in many shapes and sizes, depending on the dragon. However you may assume that just because an adult dragon is large, so is the egg the babies hatch from, but you'd be surprised how much and how quickly a hatchling can grow."

Although his audience didn't share his enthusiasm, Fishlegs happily, and knowledgeably, went on about informing the others all that he knew about dragon eggs and hatchlings.

"... Mother dragons are very protective, but really _all_ mothers become as lethal as dragons when their baby is threatened." He laughed at his own joke because it was obvious no one else would.

Fishlegs frowned as he looked around in the glazed looks he was receiving. He cleared his throat loudly, which made most of them jump, before continuing. "Remember that baby dragons, like most other baby animals, will imprint on the first things they see. Which can become a problem if they are separated from theirs mothers; both before and after they hatch. They're only young and need the nurturing of someone who loves them to help..."

Hiccup was trying his best to look focused, mainly out courtesy – especially since Snotlout was completely slouched in his chair, arms crossed sulkily. At least Hiccup was _pretending_ he didn't have better things to be doing.

He felt something slump against his shoulder and blonde hair ticked his chin. Hiccup grimaced at his drowsy girlfriend. Was she serious? Fishlegs was probably irritated enough at the Twins and Snotlout's comments and arguing – he didn't need to deal with a sleeping Astrid too. How was he going to wake her up without getting caught?

He prodded her shoulder gently. "Hey... Hey, Astrid, wake up." He hissed.

She stirred slightly but just positioned herself at a more comfortable angle. Her arm slung around his waist and he swore she smiled in her sleep. He exhaled and shook gently. "Wake up..."

He gave her another hard shake.

Astrid jolted as if she'd been shocked and jumped upright, accidentally smacking the back of her hand into Hiccup's face. "Wha–?"

"Ow, okay, that was unnecessary."

"Oh, I'm sorry, Astrid," Fishlegs began patronisingly, "is my lecture on dragon hatchlings boring you?"

She shook her head, blinking furiously. "Oh, no, of," she tried, poorly, to suppress a yawn, "course not... It's so, uh, fascinating and... educational."

"Astrid! Can you at least pretend to pay attention?" He snapped.

"Give her a break, Fishlegs!" Hiccup defended, standing up. "Can't you see she's exhausted? She's _pregnant_, for Thor's sake."

Ruffnut scoffed, crossing her arms. "Yeah, and you'll never know what that's like."

"Neither will _you_." Tuffnut added snidely.

She gritted her teeth, elbowing her brother in the ribs.

Fishlegs sighed, staring at the ground. "I'm sorry, Astrid. It's just, this stuff is important. Someday, you may come across an egg – or even a baby dragon and you'll have to know what to do."

"No offence, but right now I'd rather be learning about how to look after a baby." Astrid tried her best to suppress another yawn.

"I can't help you there."

Hiccup rested his hand on her shoulder. "I think I'll just go ahead and take her home, guys. She needs to rest."

"Hey, if Astrid leaves, _I _leave." Snotlout jerked his thumb at himself.

"And if _he_ leaves, I leave." Tuffnut added standing up.

Ruffnut also stood up. "Hey, I don't wanna be the only one left."

"Then leave."

"I _will_. But not just because you guys did."

Fishlegs ignored them, his eyes focused on the couple. "Fine. Take her home. Stay well-rested, Astrid. Keep the baby healthy."

"Sure thing." She stood up, an arm around her stomach as she balanced herself.

Hiccup slung an arm over her shoulders. "See you guys later." He called as they began to walk off.

However it was doubtful that they noticed because the Twins were trying to steal Fishlegs' chalk from him.

A yawn escaped Astrid's lips before she could stop it. Hiccup heard and pursed his lips. "You okay to walk?"

"Of course." Her pace fastened and she held back another yawn, muttering about how exhausting being pregnant was

He smirked, catching up to her and swooping her off her feet. "I could always carry you, milady."

"Put. Me. Down." Astrid said through her teeth.

"Alright, alright." Hiccup gently set her back on the ground, keeping an arm around her waist. "What's up?"

She buried her face in his neck. "Ugh, I don't know what's wrong with me!" She moaned against his skin. "I'm such an idiot!"

"You're just having one of those days." Hiccup assured, his hands sliding to her hips and slowly rocking the two of them from side to side.

The blonde sighed in frustration, rubbing her temples. "I feel like I'm having one of those months." She muttered, squeezing her eyes shut.

"You're pregnant. Give yourself a break."

"Gods, if I'm this dopey now, imagine how I'll be with a baby. I'll probably completely screw that up."

"Hey, what is this? What is it with you and your inner conflict about your parenting abilities? I mean, first you thought you'd make a great mom, and then you thought you'd be bad, and, uh, next you though you'd manage. And now you think you're gonna mess up with the baby?"

"Because I really want to be a mother but... each day into the pregnancy reminds me that I have no idea what I'm doing."

"Yeah, well, I don't really know what I'm doing either. But you know something?"

"What?"

"I'm _loving_ every minute of it." He lightly pinched her chin and tilted it up, giving her a dorky smile.

Astrid snickered. "You're sickeningly corny, you know that?"

He just rolled his eyes, firmly wrapping his arms around her waist, spinning in slow, clumsy circles. She laughed some more, real laughs that were loud and contagious.

"See, that's it, baby, that's it. I want you to be happy, not miserable."

She looked up at him, cupping his face. "Thanks for that." She stood on her toes and tenderly kissed his lips.

Hiccup eagerly pressed his lips closer against his girlfriend's, his grip around her waist tightening. Even when they broke from their kiss, he held her close.

"Do you feel like there's something between us?" His eyes flicked down to her swelled stomach.

She pinched his neck with her fingers. "You aren't funny."

"You're right; I'm _hilarious_." He kissed her nose teasingly. "What do you say we go back home so we can completely close the gap between us...?"

"Tempting... however," she grinned slyly and stood on her toes, leaning in close to his ear, "I'd rather go home and _sleep_."

Hiccup's shoulders slumped. "Ah... Well, you're the pregnant one, I suppose." She chuckled and he couldn't help but join in. "Sleep it is then."


	10. Chapter 10

**Author's Notes:** Sweet Lord, is this an update? At long last? I truly apologise for how long I've been absent from this site. But I have finished all my exams and am going to graduate early December so I'll have more free time. So that's good news for you guys because I'll be able to upload more often.

And Astrid is about six months pregnant in this.

* * *

**A Little Miracle**

**Chapter Ten**

Astrid wasn't one to complain. She thought it as a waste of time and energy. Not to mention a sign of weakness. She'd probably always think that.

But sweet baby Thor this baby was killing her.

Her back ached. Her feet ached. She was still throwing up. She had to pee so much. She could never decide if she wanted to laugh or sob. Sleeping was difficult. Her cravings were crazy. And she was _exhausted._

Oh, and the baby had started kicking because of course she didn't have enough problems. Pregnancy wasn't_ allowed_ to be easy. It just wasn't. You have to earn being a parent. And yes, parent, not just mother, because Hiccup was going through it all with her; she truly felt sorry for him. He had to put up with so much and he didn't really know how to help. But he massaged her when she was sore, he got her whatever food she craved, he held her hair when she was throwing up, he was patient when she was crying hysterically. He was just really good to her. Of course, there were just some things he couldn't help her with.

Like the kicking. And these weren't just little nudges, or a small amount of movement. These were actual _kicks_. Hard kicks. Did this baby want her to suffer? It had better be the cutest baby she had ever lain eyes on.

She kept all these complaints to herself mostly. She didn't want to burden her friends with stuff that they just wouldn't be able to relate with; it wouldn't be fair. Besides, they wouldn't give her much sympathy anyway. Unlike Hiccup, who gave her too much sympathy. So she didn't share everything with him. She could deal with it herself.

* * *

They were sitting out in the sun as a group. The dragons were chasing each other around the cliff edge. There was a spread of food out. She wouldn't really call it a picnic because there was no way her friends were that civilised. Still, it was nice. She didn't need to stand or move around, she could just sit and relax, take her mind off of everything...

Apparently the baby had other ideas.

It had been restless all morning, like it was doing backflips in there or something. While she was eating the movement had stopped and the baby was quite flaccid. However, not long after she had finished she received a particularly nasty little kick that caused her to hiss and clutch her belly. How did a baby kick this hard? Or was she just really sensitive because she was pregnant?

Hiccup noticed right away, of course, leaning closer to her, brow beginning to furrow. "You alright?"

She met his gaze and gave him a disarming smile. "Totally," she said smoothly. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"You seemed like you were hurt." The baby kicked again and she couldn't help but grunt, which only made Hiccup more suspicious. "Like that. Are you sure you're okay, honey?"

"Nothing I can't handle."

"Astrid, just tell me what's wrong."

She sighed. He wasn't going to give up. "It's nothing serious. The baby's just kicking, is all." She rubbed her belly absently, hoping no one was going to fuss over her any further.

"_Kicking?_"

All eyes were on her and she cursed herself. Before she couldn't assure everyone that she was completely _fine,_ they all scooted closer, grinning and murmuring excitedly. Hiccup reached over to her, resting his hand over her belly lightly, almost cautiously, maybe afraid he would hurt her. However she couldn't help but notice how lit up his face was. In fact, all her friends were now buzzing. Over the baby kicking? It had never really occurred to her that this would be exciting for them. Was it really such a big deal?

The others crowded closer, looking like they all wanted to feel for the baby. Hiccup slid his hand down to another spot, still waiting eagerly. When nothing was happening, his smile wavered slightly. "Has it stopped?" He asked, dejection tinging his voice.

Astrid didn't like how disappointed he sounded and was trying to think of a way to make him feel better. But she didn't have to because she suddenly felt another kick; right against her boyfriend's hand.

Hiccup let out a laugh and rubbed her belly affectionately. "Hey, there little guy..." he was almost cooing. "Come on, baby, kick again..."

Sure enough, there was another kick a little to the left. The gang exclaimed excitedly. "That's it!" Hiccup said with another laugh, which earned another kick.  
"He likes the sound of his daddy's voice." Astrid finally said, ruffling Hiccup's hair teasingly.

"Okay, my turn!" Ruffnut shoved Hiccup out the way and rested her own hand on Astrid's stomach. "Are you gonna say hello to your Aunt Ruffnut?"

Astrid rolled his eyes. She patiently let each of her friends feel her little kicker. Randomly, she recalled seeing the excitement buzz through the village when a woman was pregnant, and elation of the other women feeling her belly. It hadn't seemed like a big deal to her before. She never understood their excitement but now, now it made a little more sense.

"Your bellybutton is huge," Tuffnut said, poking it. "It's, like, the biggest outie I've ever seen."

She shook her head, slapping his hand away.

Their excited eventually caught the interests of their dragons and Toothless padded over to where her and Hiccup were sitting. He looked up at his best friend expectantly, waiting for an answer.

Hiccup just pointed at Astrid's stomach. Toothless moved closer to the blonde, placid and curious. He sniffed her belly, cocking his head to the side. He sniffed it again, his nose right up against her skin. Suddenly, the baby kicked and he jerked back, letting out a startled noise. It was fair to say he wasn't expecting that. The group laughed heartily as the dragon moved in closer once again, bumping his nose to Astrid's and gave a goofy grin. He liked whatever was in there. He couldn't wait to see it.

Hiccup chuckled and knelt down next to Toothless, resting his hand on the dragon's head. "Exciting, isn't it, bud? Don't worry, it's only a few more months before we get to see it."

"It?" Astrid asked, arching a brow. Somehow, it sounded different referring to the baby as an 'it' aloud. Almost sounded wrong.

"Fine, fine!" Hiccup raised his hands defensively, standing up. "He. Or she. But you never know, could be an it."

"He's right," Snotlout pitched in. "Especially since you two are the parents."

The twins snickered and Fishlegs rolled his eyes. "If anyone were to have an it, it would be you, Snotlout." He replied. "Assuming anyone would be crazy enough to have kids with you."

Of course, that, like most things did, started quite an argument between the friends.

* * *

"So I think we seriously need to think about baby names."

"We still have a few months."

Astrid shook her head and pulled the both of them to a stop. "No, we need to both fully like the name we give the baby. I don't want us to just come up with a random name on the spot."

"I'm pretty sure my name was an on the spot decision. I bet they just took one look and me and all they could think of was," he cleared his throat and intimidated his father "what, is the baby born already? Gods, look at the tiny thing! Never see a babe so little, so puny. Huh, a name? Oh, yes, ah... Hiccup. Yes, that'll do, I mean just look at him. He's a Hiccup, alright."

Astrid threw her head back and laughed. "Well, now you have a chance to think of a name beforehand."

"You're right," he agreed. "It's too late for me but maybe I can save this baby from years of torment."

"Hiccup isn't _that_ bad of a name."

"Hmm, I don't recall you saying that when we were eight."

The blonde rolled her eyes, linking her arm with Hiccup's once more. They continued to stroll, letting silence take over for a few minutes. Toothless was trailing behind them, more interested in the fireflies that hung around the bushes. Astrid's eyes drifted over the long shadows from the setting sun. It would be evening soon and the chill of the night was setting in. She wanted to get home before it got too cool because she definitely didn't want to catch a cold on top of everything else.

"I kinda hope we have a girl," Hiccup admitted, breaking the period of silence between them.

"Why's that?"

He shrugged, rubbing his neck. "Well, I don't have much female relatives. Just big, strong, burly men. It'd be nice to have a little girl, I guess."

"Little girls are monsters. You know, my cousin Ingrid, right? I mean, just look at her; she's a little feral."

"She's a young Viking. It's pretty much a _given_."

"She bites people."

Hiccup chuckled, crossing his arms. "You know, I think I recall you being pretty vicious back in the day."

Astrid merely scoffed. "Oh, come _on_ – I wasn't that bad!"

"Ehh..." Hiccup made a wavering gesture with his hand. "I mean, whatever you say, honey, but I think everyone received bruises from you when we were little. Including me."

"Maybe you were all just really annoying," she pause, glancing at Hiccup briefly before raising a brow, "or weird."

"Oh, aha ha, hilarious."

The two chuckled, nudging one another playfully as the finally reached Hiccup's house. As they walked inside, Astrid came to the revelation that the baby had finally stopped kicking.

Until she climbed into bed.

* * *

**Author's Notes:** I hope this was sorta worth the wait... Don't worry, you won't have to wait so long for another update. Anyway, is there any cute baby/pregnancy scenes you would like to see in this? Feel free to drop some suggestions. (Oh and to everyone wondering/complaining about why they're not married, I do have things planned for that.)


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